


Don't leave just yet, my love

by AnubisWrites



Series: those who wish to sing always find a song [1]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Evening Scene, Fluff, M/M, Songfic, lots and lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:42:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24576262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnubisWrites/pseuds/AnubisWrites
Summary: Thomas and Richard are having a peaceful evening, when Thomas has to leave for work. But Richard can't let him go so soon. Sweet confessions of love follow.
Relationships: Thomas Barrow/Richard Ellis
Series: those who wish to sing always find a song [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779148
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32





	Don't leave just yet, my love

**Author's Note:**

> This is a purely self indulgent one shot based on the song "Abhi na jao chod ke". I love these dumbasses and they are too cute for their own good. Enjoy!

There is a faint rustling of the leaves as the birds return to their homes and Thomas snuggles close to Richard. The slowly setting sun paints the sky in indigo and orange ribbons, and they are lying beneath the canopy of a Wild Service tree, with an empty picnic basket next to their resting bodies. Richard is solid in his arms, his heartbeat steady in his ear and as Richard moves to his side to hug him back, Thomas feels like he’ll melt with sleep and bliss. 

But then he remembers his duty and almost groans in frustration. Why did he have to be a butler?

Richard lazily opens his eyes and looks at him, for he can hear his quietest thoughts so easily. He looks back with an apology in his eyes and starts to untangle himself from the other’s embrace. While he is arranging anything left on the blanket in the basket again, he sees Richard sitting up from the corners of his eye. He falls back as two hands snake around his waist and-

And Richard begins to sing in his ear.

_“Don’t leave just yet, my love. My heart is still not satisfied.”_

His voice is smooth, though the tone is a bit off. But it still manages to make Thomas blush. He shakes his head and removes the hands. As much as he would love to stay, he has dinner to take care of in Downton. 

_“Don’t leave just yet, my love. My heart is still not satisfied.  
You’ve just arrived here, and you’ve brought the spring with you.”_

Richard continues, standing up as Thomas does.

_“Let the air become fragrant, let my mind wander.”_

Thomas smiles despite himself and moves to wear his tailcoat and as he puts the second hand in, Richard pulls the coat towards himself, moving Thomas closer, and still singing his little song.

_“Let the evening grow a bit older, and let my heart settle a bit.”_

The proximity would have once stunned him, but his darling had made it all so comfortable in the last few years they had known each other. Richard was still the romantic sap as if they were young lovers who had just met after weeks, and he loved him for it. For now, he draped Richard’s coat over him and began to walk away. But he had barely walked a few steps when Richard caught one of his hands and stopped him. 

_“Oh, let me live for a moment. Let me take a sip of this intoxication.”_

Richard slowly moves closer and holds his free hand in both of his own.

_“We haven’t even spoken anything. We haven’t even listened to anything.”_

Thomas raises his eyebrows at that, because all they had done this evening was talk. Richard smiles at him sheepishly, but then raises Thomas’ hand to his mouth and kisses the back of it softly. The latter was happy the sun had set a while ago, or his face would have seemed as red as a rose. He still could not believe that he had finally found love and what it meant to be loved, so loyally, so fiercely and so purely. Before he could delve into those thoughts more, he felt a hand on his cheek. He leant into it.

_“Don’t leave just yet, my love, for my heart is still not satisfied.”_

Thomas wrapped his hand around the one on his cheek and looked up at the sky, Richard’s gaze following him. Then, surprising himself, he began to sing.

_“The stars are twinkling, and the lamps are being lit.  
Don’t interrupt me now, don’t block my path-”_

And just as he said that Richard had pushed him against a nearby tree. Thomas rolled his eyes and Richard kissed his cheek, just willing him to stay. He knew Thomas had work and he really had to go and do it and _yada yada_. They had had time to themselves after so long and he was going to make the most of it. He looked at him pleadingly, and it seemed to work when Thomas sighed and continued.

_“If I stay now, I’ll never be able to leave.”_

Then he looked up from his feet with an abashed look. He was not the one to put his feelings into words too often, and this was all very new to him. Richard fell more in love with every passing moment. 

_“You’ll always say that your heart isn’t satisfied.  
Ours isn’t a story to end in one evening.”_

Then Thomas moved closer and, wrapping a hand around Richard’s neck, gently kissed him. It was the softness of flower petals, the song of a river, the warmth of the sun on a winter morning; it was calming and exciting at once, and Richard moved his hands to the small of Thomas’ waist. They parted and leaned their foreheads.

The birds were silent now, the sky lit with a thousand stars, and two lovers stayed close for a moment longer.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I've started writing fanfics pretty recently, so new stories may be far and few between, but I'd love to see you there! Feel free to comment. I'd love to talk more. Also, find me at @amandaanubis on Tumblr.


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